Panna Cotta with Strawberry-Vin Santo Sauce

As tiramisù became the Italian restaurant dessert of the 1980s, so did panna cotta take over in the 1990s. The original recipe for "cooked cream" comes from Piedmont, but Tuscans have appropriated it. Their version of the eggless custard is often topped with honey and pine nuts, since the Tuscan city of Pisa is Europe's largest producer of pinoli. This recipe incorporates those ingredients into the custard, then tops it off with a delicious strawberry sauce laced with Vin Santo, the cherished dessert wine of the region. Begin making this one day ahead.

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Recent Review

Everyone considers this now my signature dessert. I have made it numerous times since it appeared in Bon Appetit in 2000. Everyone says it is the best panna cotta they have ever had, and many of our friends, and we, travel to Italy frequently. Not sure why some folks have had to reduce the gelatin. Mine always comes out the perfect consistency - that's one reason its so popular at my table. I always use the pine nuts which adds a wonderful crunch and additional layer of flavor. I've mostly used Vin Santo but have used Muscat a couple times when I couldn't find any Vin Santo. Both equally delicious. I only make this during fresh strawberry time here in NC, or use fresh strawberries I've frozen in season.